List Price: $52.99
Sale Price: $49.84
Today's Bonus: 6% Off
What's that you say? You want to haul 8 gallons of milk and still have room for the cereal too? Yup, that's how big this basket it. The dimensions listed in the add are for EACH basket there's one on each side. So if you want to haul a LOT of stuff, are not counting grams of weight and don't mind a little installation niggles: This is the basket for you.
The baskets are built like a tank. The wires are all welded to each other, are all zinc plated steel and are not a small gauge. These baskets will not break, ever, period.
UPDATE Jan19,2012: after daily commuting for 2+ years the baskets did not break but if you routinely carry more than a few pounds over rough roads, the wires on the inside of the basket start to bend slightly around the diagonal support bar. Eventually they bent enough to consume the 10mm clearance to the bike frame seatstay and the front inside of the basket started rubbing on the frame. I zip-tied a piece of inner tube between the wires and the frame to prevent damage. Eventually I zip tied a piece of aluminum bar stock between the basket wire and the support bar + seatstay to distribute the load on the wires.
Did I mention you can haul a lot of stuff? ....right....
Installation wasn't too bad, but is not for the mechanical inept. If you're not familiar with bike mechanicals, don't have a bunch of tools and/or aren't comfortable modifying the basket, it's hardware or the bike itself I'd advise getting a bike shop to do it. Don't be scared off, it's not that bad just know you're not getting yourself into a pure bolt on device. Likely it will require some finaggaling. I installed in ~20minutes, but I'm pretty handy and have all the tools and then some. I did have to bust out a drill and enlarge the holes in my bike's rear hanger bracket, but w/ a good HSS bit and some cooling oil it was not a major setback. The rest of the install went smoothly. The basket is unwieldy so a second pair of hands to hold it while you slip in the screws is greatly appreciated.
You may have to bend the upper brackets to fit the bike frame and keep the basket level, if so, bust open a can of spinach. I tell you the wire gauge is big and the rods are hard to bend. Lucky for me the basket installed level, no bending required.
UPDATE Jan19,2012: I used this basket on 2 bikes. On the second bike I did have to bend the rods down slightly. I assure you it was hard to bend them, a cheater pipe comes in handy!
The hardware that comes with the basket is the bare minimum to do the install. There are no extra bits like someone else mentioned. The basket did NOT come with install instructions, but those can be downloaded from WALD directly. The instructions may help, but I warn you they are not thorough by any stretch of the imagination. Basically, you're left on your own to figure it out. Also, the screws are low quality grade-nothing hardware. It would be easy to cross-thread, strip or otherwise damage them during installation. The nuts are all self-locking with a captured nylon insert so make sure you tighten them fully they will be hard to tighten, but you should know when they are fully seated.
Truth be told, many rear racks are kinda tricky to install so this is not so abnormal. The rack manufacturers have to content w/ a bazillion variants of bike frames and they try to accommodate best they can, but bottom line is it will only fit so many bikes w/o some modification or other.
Once installed, the bike looks rather handsome, like a freshly painted and washed pickup. The basket (being basically one solid welded piece) does not rattle like other piece-meal folding-basket paniers. Good stuff. I uploaded some pictures so you can see how it installs, the size of the beast and how it looks on the bike.
In summary: 4 stars for a well made item w/ a somewhat difficult installation. PS: Thx Amazon! free shipping and fast delivery sweet.
UPDATE Jan19, 2012. I used this rack commuting daily for a couple years on 2 different bikes. It's a great product. It is heavy, you really feel it going up hills. Just recently my bike was stolen so now I'm starting from scratch all over again :-( In reflection, I loved the size and convenience of the basket, but this time I'm going for something lighter, like an Aluminum tube rack with removable soft-sided pannier bags. This way I can throw my laptop, lock, lunch, etc in the panniers and when I get to the train station, sling the panniers and all contents (except for lock of course!) over my shoulder and away I go.
My personal record for stuff carried with this basket? 2 gallons of milk, 1L of OJ, 2 bottles of wine, loaf of bread, some fruit + veggies + other small items, and a 40lb bag of dog-food bungeed to the top! I don't recommend it; the bike was a little unstable but the point is, it can be done with this basket and none other on the market!
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My local bike shop attached this basket for me when I bought it from them today. As a college student with lots of class supplies, I needed good, fast transportation for me and all my stuff.I opted for the large size, but I was hoping they wouldn't be too wide due to traffic.I really wasn't expecting the transformation: Before, it was an aqua and neon pink early 90's relic. After a new and very sturdy basket, I realized that I have a very fun-looking, useful two-wheeled utility vehicle with massive trunk space--for a bike.
You can't see it well in the diagram, but between the two baskets is a simple rack you can use to strap even MORE things to, so buying this basket is actually like buying three transport options at once!
From what I understand, rear mounted twin baskets are also the safest sort to get due to the location of extra weight and the ability to balance it between the two sides.
The baskets are big and roomy without being ridiculously wide (though they are not slim!), and on my sports bike I barely noticed the difference in weight while riding empty. The baskets are heavy, though, and can make transporting a bike by car a pain. There is enough room to throw a backpack or other large bag with in on one side and some more books, a canvas, and other things on the other.
The baskets ride level to my rear wheel, and don't get in the way of the rear reflector. I was afraid for a while that the build of the bike frame ad the basket wouldn't allow it to attach behind the seat properly, but I was wrong. I fit perfectly.
After years of not touching it, I feel like I've rediscovered my bike. These baskets are sure to turn "just another bike" into a gas saving tool.
Got an adult-sized bike? If you have lots of stuff to tote, then get these! You can't go wrong.
Best Deals for Wald 535 Rear Twin Bicycle Carrier Basket (18 x 7.5 x 12)
I have used these baskets every day for the past 2 years to lug my books and laptop back and forth from home to law school and have hand no problems with the baskets. They are a great size they can hold several textbooks and a lunch bag in one side and a laptop in the other side without any problem.My only complaint about these baskets (as I'm sure people would complain about all baskets) is that they are very heavy. I don't know how much they weigh, but I would guess it adds a good 10-15 pounds to my bicycle wihtout anything in them, which is a pain. Then again, loading the bike with books and a computer adds 10 pounds as well, so no worries overall.
Honest reviews on Wald 535 Rear Twin Bicycle Carrier Basket (18 x 7.5 x 12)
I came into one of these super baskets from a local shop and haven't been disappointed. To say that this basket has allowed my old-school three speed Raleigh to go above and beyond the call of duty would be an understatement. As others have commented, the one-piece construction makes a basket that is free of rattles when going over the inevitable bumps and holes. Additionally, the center rack frame and the basket top rims form a solid, sturdy platform which allows the carrying of large, awkward cargo. Some examples that my basket has hauled include--> A 19" standard (CRT-type) color TV.
> Set of stereo speakers.
> Stereo receiver with cabinet, along with microwave oven (all on the same trip!).
> *Two* 30 gal trash bags packed full of empty bottles & cans (light but awkward).
And most challenging of all...
> Same number & type of bags, stuffed full with laundry (awkward and HEAVY--approx 60lbs).
This basket truly does convert a bike into a mini truck. Best of all, while carrying the above-mentioned cargoes, the baskets themselves were available for extra items. With memories of the front basket that was on my boyhood bicycle and the instability it caused, I would never have another one. But for all the capabilities of this great product, it does have a few shortcomings.
1.) I wish the baskets themselves were not tapered. With their present design, something that fits through the top of a basket might not drop all the way to the bottom. This includes the standard-sized grocery bag. It takes a little finagling to get a fully loaded bag and its contents to go completely into a basket.
2.) The struts that attach to the rear axle have no provision for levelling the assembly on the bicycle. As a result, even on my old-school bicycle, which this product seems to have been designed for, the baskets are inclined downward at the rear. For the future I am looking into the possibility of fabricating some sort of strut extenders out of heavy gauge sheet metal.
3.) For improved stability, the bottoms of the baskets should have some means to anchor them to their adjacent seat stay. When carrying heavy loads, the present design allows excessive sideways motion and wobbling, adding to instability. The struts do a super job of weight-carrying and controlling vertical motion but are not up to handling the horizontal forces that develop when riding with a lot of weight in or on the baskets. In addition, these forces are transmitted directly to the forward clamp and the tops of the seat stays it is attached to. This can't be good for either the clamp or the stays.
Otherwise, this is a product that I can't say enough good things about. For those of us without four-wheeled transportation this basket definitely meets the definition of a "labor-saving device."
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